


Christmas Dinners and Chocolate Puddings

by Mystic_Harley



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Christmas Dinner, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Humanstuck, Jude is still a conspiracy theorist, lesbian fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:33:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21755326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Harley/pseuds/Mystic_Harley
Summary: Kanaya's first real Christmas dinner with her girlfriend is a surprising but welcome one.
Relationships: Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Christmas Dinners and Chocolate Puddings

As busy as the holiday season was for her flower shop and as much as the season filled her with a nice warmth, Kanaya absolutely hated the idea of Christmas dinner. She knew full well it was her own family experience, having so many clashing personalities at the table, and now with two of the biggest peace mediators gone for this year…

Kanaya shivered despite the cold, and hugged her sweater close to her body. 

As much as she loved her family, she didn’t feel like spending one night under a roof with them all, even if it was just for dinner. She knew it was slightly unfair of her but she figured she could afford to be a little unfair and take Rose up on the offer to have Christmas Dinner at her fancy high-end apartment. Rose had warned Kanaya that two more would be joining them other than Roxy but beyond that, her lover hadn’t given any warnings.

Of course, Kanaya hadn’t exactly warned Rose of her family, so perhaps it was fair trade on Rose’s part. 

So she was a little ashamed to admit she dithered on actually getting to Rose’s apartment. She knew Rose would never purposefully put her in a situation that would compare to what her own family went through on a yearly basis but Kanaya was painfully aware thanks to Kankri how people overlooked how broken a family could be. 

Knocking politely on the door, Kanaya braced herself for the worst as it opened. Her anxieties were lessened as Rose Lalonde, the love of her life stood before her wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater she had ever laid eyes on. “Rose Lalonde, what on earth are you wearing?”

Rose gave her lover a coy smile, tugging the sweater out with a flourish. “Do you approve? It’s the only tradition Roxy and I actively try to upkeep. It’s just not Christmas until we make people want to gouge their eyes out.”

With a disgusted glare, Kanaya eyed the offending piece of clothing and tried her hardest to burn it off with just the power of sheer hatred. “That is exactly what I want to do, I thought you loved me Rose. How could you wear something so… so offensive?”

Rose laughed, stepping aside and beckoning Kanaya in, taking her jacket and slinging it on the coat rack. “I do love you, but tradition is tradition. Now, before you step in-”

She was cut off when a large fluffy white dog bounded forward and practically slammed Kanaya out of the apartment. It barked happily, licking at her face and wagging its tail in delight. Kanaya stiffened a little out of fear before she realized what was happening and nervously started giggling. 

Rose whistled sharply and the dog fortunately got off of Kanaya, his big tongue lolling out as the blonde gave the dog an unamused look. “Now Tesseract, you know better than to knock strangers off of their feet.” She turned to Kanaya and gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, this is Tesseract, Joey and Jude’s big mound of fur. He loves meeting new people, and he can get a little over-excited.”

Now that the initial panic was over, Kanaya knelt down and gently pet Tesseract’s head. “Well, I’m sure I can forgive him for being friendly. Do you need another pair of hands in the kitchen love?”

“Sure, it would be nice to have a pair of hands that can actually reach the cupboards. I get to introduce you to Jude.” She beckoned Kanaya in, leading her from the living room and into the stuffy kitchen. 

The rich smell of food permeated the air and Kanaya already felt herself salivating a little as she saw a massive duck of all things being prepared in the oven. She shot Rose a questioning look, who shrugged. “We like duck. Jude, where’s my little kitchen helper?”

“Here Rose!” A young boy with thick framed glasses, an adorable pair of buck teeth, and smoothed back hair with a similarly ugly sweater padded into the room. He froze when he saw Kanaya, fear written across his face.

Rose, mercifully, walked over and placed an arm around Kanaya’s waist and broke the tension. “Jude, I would like to formally introduce you to my girlfriend, Kanaya Maryam. Kanaya, this is Jude Harley, our resident conspiracy theorist expert and pigeon breeder.”

“Pigeon breeder?” Kanaya parroted in disbelief.

Jude folded his arms, giving her girlfriend the kind of look that read that this was a conversation they’ve had many, many times before. “Rose, they’re not conspiracy theories, they’re true! Besides, the Lone Gunbirds have been disbanded, they’re all traitors except for Byers.”

Giving her lover a bewildered look, Rose chuckled a little. “Two of the pigeons flew off, Byers is the one that stayed. My poor little Jude had his heart broken that day.” She pulled Jude in for an over-exaggerated hug, rocking him back and forth as he whined out in annoyance.

“Rose, stop! We gotta watch the duck!”

“I am watching the duck. I’m also embarrassing you at the same time.” Rose laughed, patting his head. “We’ve mostly got dinner taken care of, but we still need help with dessert. Kanaya, would you be a dear and fetch the chocolate and the milk from the fridge? Second and bottom shelf, respectively.”

Kanaya felt a bubble of anxiety well up in her chest, and in an almost dream-like haze she pulled out the chocolate (real chocolate, she noted with some surprise) and the milk and set them down on the counter. Jude and Rose were idly chatting with one another, Jude going on about how someone named ‘Dammek’ was secretly an alien in disguise and this time he had absolute proof.

There was no yelling in the house. No arguing that was taking place. Even the animals seemed content, as when Kanaya glanced out into the living room, Mutie was sleeping on top of Tesseract’s back, who was also asleep on the carpet. Other than the casual, breezy conversation from her girlfriend and Jude, it was peaceful.

So why did that make her even more anxious than normal?

“Kanaya? Kanaya, love?” She blinked rapidly, realizing she spaced out and blushing a little as she realized Rose was giving her a concerned look. “Everything alright?”

She put on a smile, not wanting to ruin the good atmosphere with her stupid anxieties. “Yes, yes of course. Just spaced out a little. So, what’s for dessert?”

“Only the best darn Hot Fudge Lava Pudding Cake you’ve ever had!” Jude exclaimed proudly, puffing his chest out. “We found the recipe among one of my mom’s old stuff and we’ve improved it ever since.”

“The trick,” Rose added, as if the situation were somehow a cooking show and she was the hostess, walking around the counter as she chopped up the chocolate and Jude petered about counter getting the other ingredients ready. “Is to use real genuine chocolate, with extra for flavor of course, and to use 2% milk.”

“We tried it with lo-fat one year.” Jude stated, then shuddered and shook his head. “Terrible mistake…”

Rose opened the oven, then smiled and pulled out what looked like a lasagna of all things. She gave her girlfriend a little smile. “For Joey, she’s a vegan.” She clarified. “Speaking of Joey...Joey! Roxy! Dinner is almost ready!” She called out.

There were two distant affirmatives and the first person out was Rose’s older sister. Roxy gave an easy smile to Kanaya, with a small wave before peering over at the dinner. “Hey Kan, ohh shit is that what I think it is?”

“No touching until we’re done.” Jude state firmly, trying to shoo Roxy away but only ending up in a big hug. “Roxy!”

A young girl with messy looking hair and what looked like tap-dancing shoes popped up and tried to sneak her way around to peek at the fudge being boiled slowly on the stovetop. Rose swatted her hand away teasingly. “Now now, not yet. Kanaya, this is Joey, Jude’s older brother. Joey, this is my girlfriend Kanaya. Treat her nicely.”

Spinning on her heel, Joey flashed Kanaya a wide grin full of pearly whites and stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you!” 

Kanaya, a little taken aback, shook her hand gingerly and smiled. “Pleasure to meet you too. Why are you wearing tap shoes?”

“Because I’m going to be the first ever tap-dancing ballet vet!” She declared proudly, and performed a little shuffle on the spot. “I’m gonna take the dancing and veterinarian world by storm!”

“Darn right you will baby.” Roxy piped up, ruffling Joey’s already messy hair. “You’re gonna make me so proud…” She grabbed the plates when Rose handed them out, and smiled at Kanaya again. “Make yourself at home Kan, you can kick your shoes off and take it easy. We always leave lots of food left over. Rose overcompensates.”

“It is hardly my fault you all are thin enough that a strong breeze would bowl everyone over and get a strike!” Rose called from the kitchen.

Kanaya played with her hands, shuffling awkwardly before sinking herself down on the couch. Mutie hopped up in her lap and she absently stroked the cat’s hair, letting herself focus on the snow capped window and let her mind drift off again.

Was this how Christmas dinner always was for Rose? She knew that Rose and Roxy were close but she felt completely out of her element in the middle of a loving and dare she imagine, cheerful environment for what was normally reserved for such a chaotic time of the year. She closed her eyes, wishing that she didn’t have an iron ball of dread in the pit of her stomach.

The couch compressed next to her and she felt loving arms wrap around her frame. Knowing who it was without opening them, she cuddled closer and hugged the figure back, sighing. She felt a soft hand stroke her hair, her lover whispering quietly against her head. “What’s wrong love? You’ve been antsy since you arrived.”

“It’s...it’s stupid.”

“Try me anyways. I bet it’s not stupid.”

She sighed, opening her eyes and looking up at her lover. “I… I just keep expecting things to go wrong. Seeing everyone happy and smiling.” She glanced over to the TV, where Jude and Roxy had set up a game of Mario Kart and were eagerly racing against each other. “It’s so peaceful. I didn’t know that something like this could really happen. I keep expecting to hear screaming and yelling.”

Rose hummed, pulling her girlfriend in for a warm embrace. “The yelling will only happen once Mario Party starts. I for one, am not foolish enough to risk my life on such frivolous activities.”

“Yeah ‘cause you’re always dead last.” Roxy commented from her seat on the floor.

“I’m choosing to ignore that comment because as my sister, I love you.” Rose retorted primly, returning to stroking Kanaya’s hair. “But I know that your family… don’t get along, Kanaya. I wish I could do something more to reassure you.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m just anxious. I’m not used to this sort of environment.”

She felt a pair of soft lips against her forehead, and Rose’s hand gently tilted her up to look at her. “Well, I just have to get you used to it.” 

They stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity before they leaned in and kissed each other softly. Kanaya raised her hand and stroked it along Rose’s cheek, giving a small noise of contention.

“Sock on the door Rosie, sock on the door.”

Breaking from the kiss, Rose gave her sister a faux glare. “I’m going to hurt you. I think Dinner should be ready, everyone go sit down!” She looked over at her girlfriend, smiling. “Feeling up for some food?”

“And miss out on your world famous Hot Lava Pudding Cake for dessert? Always.” Laughing together, Kanaya rose up and took her seat in the little area sectioned off for dinner plates bursting with delicious foods, tantalizing scents mixing together as Kanaya spotted ears of corn, freshly baked rolls, a boat of gravy and many more delectable goodies. “You really don’t do anything by halves.” She commented, sitting down and accepting a glass of cranberry juice.

Roxy grinned, doling out a healthy portion onto Jude’s plate. “Rose just doesn’t want to admit that she's a foodie.”

She couldn’t help the smirk on her lips as she tipped her glass at Rose’s direction. “She’s just as bad as my mother is. One would almost think she’s into feeding people.” She gave Rose a wink, who blushed terribly and purposefully engrossed herself in a lengthy conversation with Joey about how her schooling was coming along.

Dinner was absolutely marvelous. Kanaya knew her lover enjoyed cooking but it seemed that Rose always had something new to break out for special occasions. She tried a helping of the vegan lasagna and the duck and found out that somehow they worked despite never in her wildest dreams believing such things were possible. A little smile grew on her face and she winked at Jude conspiratorially as he sneaked some of his food to Tesseract, who was begging for scraps all around the table. She found herself addicted to the rolls more than she cared to admit and by the end of the dinner there was still a sizable portion still sitting on the table, which was a little alarming considering Kanaya had thought she ate enough for three that night.

Despite the feeling of being stuffed to the gills, her stomach still growled needily when Rose brought out the Hot Lava Pudding Cake. The rich chocolate seemed to pour out of the cake as Rose carefully doled out the helpings, making sure to give a big piece to Roxy, who looked absolutely delighted and dove in without a second though. 

She gave what Kanaya could only describe as a moan and set her fork down. “Rosie, Judie, you two have fucking outdone yourselves. This cake is literally the best thing I’ve ever had in my entire life.”

“You say that every year…” Jude mumbled, a happy blush spreading to his ears and an embarrassed grin splitting his face as he watched his older sister shovel her own portion of cake down.

Shrugging her shoulders, Kanaya spooned a healthy size into her mouth and almost immediately felt a surge of pure bliss that was only rivaled by heated nights of passion with Rose. “Rose, my love?”

“Yes Kanaya?” She asked, a knowing smile on her face.

“I love you with all of my heart but I believe your cake has managed to usurp you.” She stated seriously, taking another bite and just about losing her mind as the rich chocolate and hints of whipped cream danced across her taste buds and made passionate love with them.

Rose laughed a little, standing up and fishing a little card out of her pocket. “Well, at the risk of losing my girlfriend to my own devices, here’s the recipe. That way you can win hearts and minds.” 

“God I love you.” Rising up to take the card, she gave Rose a chaste kiss on the lips before sitting back down and finishing up her meal. 

Now absolutely full of delicious chocolate, she helped Jude and Rose clean up the couch while Roxy and Joey started playfully bickering over what to play next. Rose had sectioned off a portion of her fridge for the leftovers, giving Kanaya a serious look. “Take these home with you, okay?”

“I hope you don’t mean tonight, because all I want to do is take a big nap with my wonderful girlfriend.” Kanaya smiled back, wrapping her arms sleepily around Rose.

Guiding her into her bedroom, Rose let Kanaya sit her down and practically tear off the sweater. “So I’ve won you back from the vices of my chocolate cake?” She teased.

Kanaya huffed, going over to Rose’s dresser and pulling out the spare night clothes she kept over for such occasions, stripping down quickly and pulling them on as Rose did the same. “For now, we shall see in the morning. Are Jude and Joey staying the night?”

“They usually do for dinner, Harley Manor can be… empty, a lot. Roxy compensates by letting them sleep with her. I think Roxy just enjoys being a mom to them.”

Crawling into bed together, Kanaya pulled Rose close to her and nestled herself against her hair. As she closed her eyes and breathed in the loving scent of Rose’s shampoo, she found herself drifting off to sleep faster than expected. “I love you Rose…”

She felt Rose cuddle into her and nestle up nicely underneath her chin. “I love you too Kanaya…”

Together, they fell off into a blissful, food filled slumber while the shrieks of joy and laughter from the gaming session outside chorused out.

**Author's Note:**

> Big shoutout to my friend Ana for inspiring me to write this. I don't normally ship Rosemary but I wanted to write something nice and fluffy for the holiday season. Thank you to everyone who reads this and reviews are always welcome!


End file.
